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G.I. Public Schools receives Nebraska Arts Council grants for 5 schools
Grand Island Public Schools has received five Artists in Schools/Communities grants from the Nebraska Arts Council to help fund artists-in-residence at five elementary schools between January and May 2011.
The schools, grant amounts, dates, artists, and other information, listed chronologically:
- Wasmer Elementary School: $810 grant for Grand Island artist Nancy Fairbanks' residency from January 24-28, 2011, involving clay. Teacher Deb Gnuse is the school coordinator for the residency.
- Gates Elementary School: $450 grant for Nancy Fairbanks' residency from February 28 to March 4, 2011. Teacher Sara Robinson is the school coordinator.
- Shoemaker Elementary School: $450 grant for Nancy Fairbanks' residency from May 9-13, 2011. Teacher Pat Rerucha is the school coordinator.
- Knickrehm Elementary School: $1,125 grant for Lincoln artist Nancy Childs' residency from May 16-20, 2011, involving papermaking. Teacher Janet Jobes is the school coordinator.
- Dodge Elementary School: $810 grant for artist Nancy Fairbanks' residency from May 16-20, 2011. Teachers Shawn Jacobs and Pam Shunkwiler are the school coordinators.
The total amount awarded from the five grants is $3,645. The grant amounts are affected by the percentage of students at the school who qualify for free or reduced price meals and whether the artist travels more than 30 miles from home to the residency site.
A residency with Nancy Fairbanks includes hand-built pottery technique and stories of the history, culture, and daily life of the Pawnee Tribe in Nebraska. Fairbanks has been a studio potter for many years and enjoys experimenting with Raku and other unusual firing techniques.
Nancy Childs of Lincoln has more than 30 years of experience teaching and exhibiting as a professional artist. Residency activities include basic papermaking, color mixing with pulp, bookmaking, casting, marbleizing, color collage, and polymer clay jewelry techniques.
Teachers coordinating the residencies, principals, and Carol Bryant, grant development facilitator for the school district, prepared the grant applications.
The Nebraska Arts Council grants funding to Nebraska's nonprofit organizations for arts projects and programs in communities throughout the state. This financial support is made possible by funds appropriated by the Nebraska Legislature, through competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency; and funds from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment (NCE). Nebraskans wishing to learn more about NEA grants or the NCE should visit the NAC website at www.nebraskaartscouncil.org.
For more information, contact: Betty Desaire, Principal, Wasmer Elementary School, 318 S. Clark St., (308) 385-5920, bdesaire@gips.org; Julie Martin, Principal, Gates Elementary School, 2700 W. Louise St., (308) 385-5892,jmartin@gips.org; Lee Wolfe, Principal, Shoemaker Elementary School, 4160 Old Potash Highway, (308) 385-5936,lwolfe@gips.org; Andrew Rinaldi, Principal, Knickrehm Elementary School, 2013 N. Oak St., (308) 385-5927, arinaldi@gips.org; Stephanie Schulte, Principal, Dodge Elementary School, 641 S. Oak St., (308) 385-5889, sschulte@gips.org
It is the policy of the Grand Island Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities or employment policies as required by Title VI, Title IX, &Section 504.EOE/AA.